A look at the Catan Sun™ Trophies

Sep 19, 2012

Winning the Catan World Championship™ comes with a cornucopia of rewards. There is of course the sheer pride of the title “best Catan player in the world” and an eight day, seven night Caribbean Gamer Adventures cruise. However, the grandest prize of all would be the heirloom-quality Catan Sun™ trophies that the final four contestants receive.

Mayfair commissions the trophies to be made in two distinct parts: the base, which also serves as a container and is constructed of woods local to the CWC final. This year's stands were made from Black Walnut, Cherry, Hickory and Maple woods. The apex of the trophies are cast in pewter and represent the seascape, island and rising sun of Catan.

Inside this case is a brass, hex-shaped 3-D mountain rising from a pewter seascape to represent the legendary island of Catan. Also stored in the case are tiny bits of clay, a sheaf of wheat and wool bunting: all five of the classic Catan resources are contained in each Catan Sun™ trophy case.

The medallions themselves are true masterworks of the metalworking craft. Each medallion is made of a different valuable metal representing the rising sun, the central symbol of Catan alluding to the hope for a better, brighter future shared by the intrepid settlers of the mythical isle.

Beautiful trophies displaying the Gold Sun™, Silver Sun™, the Bronze Sun™ and the Pewter Sun™, portraying the magnificence of the Catanian theme. Let’s look at each in turn. The Gold Sun™ medallion is a gold filigree jewel made from 2 ounces of pure gold and inset with 3.5 carats of brilliant natural blue Sapphires. The Silver Sun™ is an elegant silver filigree jewel made from pure silver and inlaid with moonstone and opals. The Bronze Sun™ is an ornate, multi-toned bronze filigree jewel. Finally, the Pewter Sun™ is a multi-toned pewter filigree jewel.

Each Catan World Championship™ Catan Sun™ trophy is handmade by a master craftsman and the Gold Sun™ and Silver Sun™ are inset with different gems (for the gold) and semi-precious stones (for the silver) making each unique. We know our champions treasure their trophies and hope you enjoyed this inside look at just what goes into the most unique award in the history of board games.